Playing the underdog role doesn’t bother Kristin DeGroot. “I
think the reason we did so well was our ‘underdog attitude,’”
said the Calvin junior from Tulare, Calif. DeGroot is referring to the
volleyball team’s run at the MIAA championship, despite losing most
of the previous year’s starting line-up to graduation.

“We lost a lot of powerhouse seniors,” she said. “No
one expected anything from us. That’s what gave us our drive in
the beginning.”

With no expectations to worry about, the Knights quickly became one of
the teams to worry about in the MIAA.

“Halfway through the season we had to reset our goals,” said
DeGroot. “We talked about how far we could go. That gave us something
to work towards, some direction.”

Beating Central College in the middle of September helped the Knights
build confidence. “They were ranked second in the nation at the
time,” said DeGroot. “We were a nobody.”

While the Calvin team didn’t reach the ultimate goal of winning
the MIAA championship and a bid to the national tournament, DeGroot believes
the team built a strong foundation for next year.

As a senior next year, DeGroot will lead the returning players in hopes
of a return to their MIAA championship form of two years ago.

“My goal is to get into the NCAA tournament next year,” she
said. “It was good to get a taste of that as a freshman. I would
like to have the chance to do that again.”

One spot the Knights have to fill is that of defensive specialist Trisha
Balkema, who is graduating in May. As the team’s second-leading
digger this year with 516 digs, DeGroot wouldn’t mind taking on
that role. While not a glamorous role, DeGroot enjoys it, she said.

This year, DeGroot played outside hitter, averaging just over one kill
a game, with 140.

Off the court, DeGroot is challenged by her engineering major. “I
want to design cars,” she said.

DeGroot admits this is a unique choice for a woman. “Most of my
classmates are guys,” she said. “There are usually only one
or two girls in the class.”

She said that engineering is in her blood, though. “My dad used
to be an engineer, and my brother is an engineer,” she said. “My
dad encouraged me to go for it. He said that if you can do it, you should
reach for the highest goal possible. I’m trying to do that by getting
the most out of college.”

Added to her mechanical engineering major is a Spanish minor. “In
California, where I’m from, 50 percent of the population is Hispanic,”
she said. “Knowing the Spanish language is recommended now and will
be necessary later. It’s such a universal language and can be used
in so many places.”

This challenging mix of academics and athletics is what DeGroot has come
to like about Calvin, she said. “You need to be committed and driven
in both aspects,” she said. “The vision is good. Coaches here
value academics, but they still push you to your limit. And doing that
within a Christian perspective is so meaningful. It’s easy to let
it be all about you, but in devotions one time this year we talked about
doing it with the right attitude. Our motto became, ‘Play to make
God smile.’ I think that puts it all in perspective.